South for some Sun and across in to Italy

A wet day in Sassenages allowed me to update the blog but things had cleared up the next day (a French National Holiday, All Saints) so I followed the Isere on a level cycle track covering 40 or so miles before returning and dealing with the van utilities as these are accessed through the rear tailgate that is a bit too heavy to safely lift and support singlehandedly when both bikes are on.
With the remnants of Storm Amelie that had caused damage back at Bordeaux sitting over my next intended destination : the Ecrins NP I decided to make full use of my flexible schedule and lifestyle and headed south to hopefully warmer climes.
In the Verdon Gorge I settled at a lovely aire above the Ste Croix Lake which the following day I circled on the bike dropping in to two picturesque villages and finishing with a heart busting climb out of Moustiere to the plateau back to Sainte Croix passing fields with rows of recently harvested lavender bushes. The 43 miles ended as the sun set and temperatures dropped under the clear skies so once again the cosy Eber did the job.

Following the Verdon Gorge east I stopped in Moustiere to climb up to the Chapelle but it was only later looking back at photos from the past that I discovered I had spent over a week in the village some 12 years ago - I don't think this is a failing memory but reflects how very full and varied the intervening decade and more has been.




Entrevaux  in the Var valley provided the perfect aire : quiet parking alongside a quiet railway on the edge of a small village with the old medieval village across the river and dominated by a lofty castle. 
I set up and then paid the £3 to pass the turnstile and begin the steep series of hairpin bends that took the track up to the impressive semi derelict fortress. It was a dramatic place with several levels, hidden passage ways, gateways protected by heavy pivoted doors and a reminder of more recent history with some very miserable looking cells that had held German Officer POWs from the First World War. From the top battlements I watched one of the colourful two car trains that link Nice and Digne a couple of times a day chug along the valley floor and decided to take a trip the next day.
Down in the old town I was reminded of the souks and medinas of Morocco as I wandered through the maze of narrow walkways and alleys with the tall buildings almost meeting overhead.

Thus at 10.30 the next day I was hopping aboard the northbound train to Saint Andre les Alpes and enjoyed a trip reminiscent of the Ardeche steam train with stunning scenery and a steady pace. I'm surprised the line stays open as it has very few trains per day but £21 million was being spent on modernisation and upgrades to the 16 stations so I guess it is busier in the summer.

As a result of this engineering work the last section was by bus and left me 3 hours in St Andre to enjoy a superb lunch washed down with a couple of beers as I wasn't driving before the return train headed south as empty as before. At Annott I noticed one carriage wrapped up under blue tarpaulin that still failed to disguise its twisted, deformed state - a quick Google discovered that four years ago the train had been hit by a boulder the size of a house that derailed it and killed two people, one a Russian tourist.



With warm sunshine and clear skies I decided to head towards the Mercantour and Europe's highest road the Col de la Bonnnette so followed the impressively narrow Tinee Gorge towards Roubion diverting en route up a steep series of hairpins to Bairols beautifully straddling a craggy ridge. The streets were too narrow for cars and from the church the views were impressive. Alongside a memorial to the fallen of WW1 showed the devastating effect such carnage must have had on a small village and in particular two families who had lost several sons or husbands.
Above Roubion at a small ski centre I parked up on the lofty aire and then walked back down to the village which clung to the mountain side. The autumnal colours were stunning but the village very quiet apart from workmen digging up the cobbles to relay water pipes in what looked to be a very complex undertaking. The old wash house was interesting and many of the houses had carefully decorated doors and windows but seemed shut up for the winter. I walked out to inspect a via ferrata on the edge of the village but decided it would be foolish to attempt a solo trip and returned to the van for what would prove to be the coldest night so far - what would you expect at a ski resort...
Anyway with thermal screens in place, the heater for the evening and a double down bag overnight all was well.

However the snows left by Amelie had closed all the high passes so I dropped back via the remarkable Daluis Gorge passing through 17 tight tunnels before returning to Entrevaux for a shop and to use the laundry kiosk outside the store - all washing done and dried in under an hour for £8 - before I returned to Entrevaux station once more and admired a very clever two ball quad trailer that was secured rigidly behind a large camper - two castor wheels at the back rotated fully and incorporated suspension and loading was courtesy of two aluminium ramps.
Following the Dar Valley down to Nice I stayed off the motorways as tolls are surprisingly more for a high top van and enjoyed the coast road with its views of the sparkling Med.
Monaco was congested due to road works to the point that at one stage I turned round grateful to be only just over 5m in length as a road was closed off but I was soon over the border and in to Italy with no delay.
I then took two mountain roads across to Triora via Pigna and was again grateful for modest dimensions as some of the hairpins were too tight to get round on a first attempt. The 2.4l 5 cylinder engine that is so refined compared to my old 1.9ABL had plenty of power to cope with the long ascents and I was glad that my pre trip overhaul had seen new pads, discs and hoses for the brakes as they dealt with equally long descents.
Triora has a long history associated with witchcraft and more recently was a stronghold for the partisan resistance until Nazi troops succeeded in overpowering the cliff side village and destroyed many of its houses. Thus nowadays the narrow alleys and covered walkways have many collapsed houses but many people do live there and certainly properties were cheap - half reasonable doer uppers at £25k - if you fancy a challenge.
The aire above town behind I think a disused convent was simple and very quiet but more than adequate and I enjoyed a cosy night.
Again roads to the north were snowbound so I took the more direct route down to the Ligurian coast and joined the sea at San Remo. A nearby marina in Santo Steffano al Mare provided two cylinders of Campingaz at £23 each, not bad for a prime location but the cylinders have a different paint and labelling scheme to those in France and the UK so I hope they will be exchangeable elsewhere.
If my plans go as hoped I will be in Italy until early March after the last 8 weeks in France so it shouldn't be an issue for a while. Beyond that in Greece, Turkey and most of eastern Europe Campingaz won't be available anyway so I am likely to resort to the small genny I carry, hook up in the unlikely event that it is available or I have a plan to buy a local larger cylinder plus regulator and just keep that outside the van with the piping entering in through one of the drop vents in the gas cupboard that can then easily be linked up to the existing fixed pipe junction. 
Having dropped the thermostat down on the Truma from 70 to 50 (something I should have thought of ages ago) should mean each cylinder does a fortnight and warmer weather will mean less cooked food and less water heating. The option of a fixed refillable cylinder has been considered but I wouldn't want to reduce my already low ground clearance and the availability of filling points is something of a mixed bag in various countries so I guess the petrol in the genny is a useful catch all and will charge up the leisure battery as well.
Anyway back to the Med. where just outside the marina a parking area permitted overnight stays right next to the coastal cycle path for a very reasonable £8 (my first paid night in five weeks) so I pulled up overlooking the sea, pointed the solar panel to the south and took off on the bike for a 20 mile round trip to San Remo passing a marina on the way where a Saudi billionaire's yacht 'Kingdom 5KR was berthed dwarfing other million dollar and more vessels. The track passed through stylish San Remo and after a long illuminated tunnel finished at Ospedalettii that once held Grand Prix fixtures on a street circuit.

After returning to the van I watched a spectacular thunderstorm breaking out to sea and after dark walked around the marina where no one challenged me and millions of pounds of floating wealth sat rocking gently on the waters. Some were occupied and I reflected with some amusement that the presumably affluent occupants were still largely just sitting aboard with Saturday night telly for entertainment.

Yesterday I stopped in Albenga for a walk round its historic centre and on a fresh day was tempted by a cosy trattoria to indulge in an excellent pizza, profiteroles and coffee before heading a few miles up in to the hills to Zuccarello where I overnighted outside the village. The cloistered streets were deserted but surprisingly I did meet two old friends from near Brecon resting on a bench and walked up to the castello which lay high above the village.

Today I have left Liguria and entered the UNESCO titled part of Piedmonte so honoured due to its remarkable landscape of hills and valleys dominated by acres of yellowing vines. It has been a dampish day but tomorrow bodes well so I have taken advantage of a data passport to update the blog and will catch up on some TV tonight - I too can live the millionaire lifestyle!

Pics here.... enjoy.